End of “Furlough Fridays” Help to Fill Capitol Corridor Seats

Ten Percent More Travelers Ditch Their Cars in Favor of Northern California Rail Service

Capitol Corridor, the third busiest intercity passenger rail service in the nation, announced a double-digit increase in November ridership. Ten percent more travelers ditched their cars in favor of riding the Capitol Corridor compared to the same period last year.  Ridership on the Capitol Corridor, which serves Northern California, has steadily climbed since summer, but results dramatically increased after the end of the state’s “Furlough Fridays” and a record-breaking Thanksgiving travel weekend.

“The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) definitely saw a link between Furlough Fridays and decreased ridership,” CCJPA Chair Jim Holmes said. “We expected ridership to grow when Furlough Fridays ended in October, but we were thrilled to see ridership soar to double digits last month. Nearly 143,000 people rode our trains, up from 129,294 customers in 2009.”

The CCJPA attributes increased November ridership to an improved economy, high customer satisfaction ratings and the fact that the service achieves a 96 percent on-time performance record, making the Capitol Corridor the most reliable passenger rail service in the nation.

About Capitol Corridor

The Capitol Corridor intercity rail service was made possible by Californians who voted to provide capital funding for passenger trains in 1990. The Capitol Corridor serves sixteen stations along the 170-mile rail corridor connecting Placer, Sacramento, Yolo, Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties, paralleling both the I-80/I-680 and I-880 corridors in segments from Sacramento to San Jose. An extensive, dedicated motorcoach network provides bus connections to the train. Together, these systems serve the second-largest urban service area in the Western United States.

In July 1998, the management of the service was transferred to the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA), which oversees the service with day-to-day management and staff support from San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). The CCJPA partners with Amtrak, Union Pacific Railroad, Caltrans and the communities comprising the CCJPA to offer cost-effective, viable and safe intercity passenger rail and offers a convenient way to travel between the Sierra Foothills, Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley/San Jose. For more information visit capitolcorridor.org.

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